Jonathan Hickman’s “X-Men” story has been the talk of Marvel Comics for nearly a year and now a brand new series is being added to the fray. Leah Williams’ new “X-Factor” series assembles a team of mutants with very different abilities to handle some very important issues for the Mutant nation of Krakoa.
Jean-Paul Beaubier, better known as his superhero alias of Northstar, has sensed a tragedy and needs the help of those in charge of mutant resurrections. That leads him down a path that requires him to solve a mystery, but he’s going to need some help.
This new X-Men arc has seen a lot of new teams and new stories. Up to this point, my personal favorite has been the “Marauders” series. Now, X-Factor may be at the top of that list. Each member of this new team brings something completely unique to the table, both in powers and personality, and they play off of each other perfectly.
This first issue, while very familiar in terms of seeing new teams showing off their abilities, was a perfect introduction to the new team. It’s a very fun issue in which we get to see each member of the group show off their abilities at one point or another.
On top of that, the dynamic with this team is just a lot of fun. When you get strong-willed and entertaining characters like Northstar, Polaris, Daken and others together, you’re going to get some laughs. While the subject of their first mission is very serious, they still find a way to be very light-hearted and fun.
The best thing about this new series is the very different objective of this new team. Typically, we see superheroes team up to save the Earth (or galaxy or universe or whatever) from some huge threat that is too powerful for any one of them to take on on their own. This team’s goal is very different. Mutants are being killed and going missing. Krakoa needs someone to look into the problem. Enter: X-Factor.
Sure, this is far from the first time we’ve seen superheroes work as investigators, but this is certainly different from a Jessica Jones comic. Seeing each character have a very different and yet no less useful ability employed in an investigation is a fun new twist on a super team.
If I was to really dig to find a potential problem with this new series, it would simply be the ability to continue to create fresh new stories around this team. This isn’t a team of heroes tasked with protecting a planet or a people. It’s a group of enhanced individuals looking into the disappearances of their fellow mutants. It could become difficult to stick to that story without simply becoming a Marvel version of Law & Order.
With that being said, I have complete faith in Williams’ ability to create fun new stories with this team. The characters are very enjoyable and the unpredictability of Hickman’s X-Men and the island of Krakoa will likely keep things fresh. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if this team uncovers something big and sees some very new responsibilities added to their job description.
“X-Factor #1” is available now.